


Sanctuary

by TheHuntress25



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Humor, Drama & Romance, F/M, Mental Breakdown, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-12 02:26:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7081003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHuntress25/pseuds/TheHuntress25
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy Weasley has returned home after an entire year of running from the demons that are always there. The path to healing has been difficult and the only peace he can find is in one brave young woman named Audrey Tang, her faith in him more beautiful than any sanctuary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sanctuary

 

The salty scent of ocean air brought back memories of blood and sweat, terrified screams that throbbed like a festering wound unable to heal. Percy Weasley awoke from his nightmare with a harsh cry, chest pounding so fiercely that he had to place a trembling hand over his heart, fearing that the useless thing might burst from his rib cage. It took several minutes before the images in his mind faded away, those open wounds closing again and becoming buried once again until Percy could almost pretend that that awful night at Hogwarts had never happened.

 

Fred dead and red.

 

Fred dead and red.

 

Percy had never been able to get the image of his younger brother's frozen, smiling face out of his mind and the memory made his heart turn to stone. He should have protected him better—he had been right _there_! Why couldn't he take back all of those terrible moments between them? Why couldn't he recall any of the good times, before Fred became dead and red? The loss of Fred was the most painful thing that he had ever experienced and Percy was drowning in guilt.

 

An entire year had passed but the agony was still there and shortly after Fred's funeral, Percy had found himself breaking into pieces. George had been in a similar state and the two of them had bonded, more aware of each other than they had ever been before, “Someday, you'll be able to call me George again.” His brother had reassured when Percy had insisted that he _must_ be Fred. “I'm George and you're Percy, there's nothing wrong with that.”

 

But there _had_ been something wrong with that.

 

Percy had occasionally seen the hateful glances he would receive, the awkward pauses in conversation when he would enter the room. Ron and Ginny had grudgingly began to accept that they were related once more while Charlie had sat him down for a long and harsh talk about what it really meant to be a brother. Percy had needed to hear it. He had needed to hear all of that.

 

Charlie may not come to ever truly forgive him for his betrayal but he had said flatly. “Perce, I know I may seem like a prick for saying all of this.” His brother had sighed after nearly reducing him to a pile of bones, “but I'm willing to give your sorry arse another chance if you're willing to be here. I know it's hard but you need to try, can you do that?”

 

“Y...yes, I'll try.” Percy had whispered thickly.

 

Bill was a completely different matter entirely and Percy had known immediately that forgiveness from him would probably be impossible. Cold, hard stares. Contempt in his voice. Percy couldn't blame Bill for hating him, he had hurt the family so deeply when he had abandoned them but he had made it worse when he had decided to do it again.

 

Fred dead and red.

 

Fred dead and red.

 

Percy had been unable to piece himself together and had left the Burrow in the middle of the night, the image still pounding in his skull. He hadn't packed much and had taken the few remaining Galleons he had decided not to leave with his family on the road with him, eventually bartering a Portkey to Russia and vanishing for half a year. The old bits of himself had died and he was nothing more than a shell of that man, the travels hardening him into a beast that no one could recognize and it would take a long time before his family could accept that.

 

There had been so many changes since then and although Percy had been considered a wanted man for crimes that were too grim to mention in detail, Kingsley Shackelbolt had invited him to his office one morning regardless. Percy had wondered what the man could possibly want, especially when he knew that his crimes weren't anything pleasant and had stood in the man's office like a wary animal with his heart frozen.

 

Shackelbolt had considered him for several minutes before chattering about his upcoming wedding and how he wanted to name one of his future daughters Charlotte. That hadn't meant shit all to Percy but he had nodded, nodded in a way that might not get him thrown out before the man had finally gotten down to business. “I know that despite what you've done, you're an honorable man and I'll be damned if I'll tell someone how to grieve.” Shackelbolt had stated with a faint frown.

 

“That's a wise decision,” Percy had replied thinly.

 

The cheek had earned him a warning glance that was quickly replaced with a pitying smile that Percy had seen enough of recently. “I called you here because I need someone with experience, someone in a position to see the potential darkness in everything.” Shackelbolt had informed calmly in a rumbling, weary voice.

 

“Why would you want someone like me in that position?” Percy had asked him politely, vacantly.

 

“You've seen the darkness in this world and I know from reading about your...exploits that you're not in the habit of lying. I need you to capture the darkness in this Ministry before it ruins this country and my last shred of hope,” Shackelbolt had retorted with surprising swiftness. “Undersecretary to the Minster is a position that would not only put you to good use but help those poor souls out there that are still in a darkness of their own.”

 

Percy hadn't quite understood his reasoning. “Are you certain? I'm quite sure that I'm insane.”

 

“Isn't everyone?” Shackelbolt had remarked, brow quirked.

 

“Why would I agree to this?” Percy had asked shortly.

 

Shackelbolt had eyed him cautiously. “It would make your parents happy to see you acting like a...like a normal person again.” He hadn't quite known what to say to the fact that Percy had currently been on their most wanted list for valid reasons, “wouldn't you like to do that for them? You could forget about your past, start a new life. The War is over and there's nothing but opportunity if you're willing to take the first step.”

 

Percy hadn't been able to deny how tempting the offer had sounded at that moment and his parents had suffered enough because of him. He hadn't felt quite human then and had allowed that beast that was in him to make the decision, “This sounds suspiciously like blackmail but I've done enough harm to my family and the last thing they need is more of it.” He had paused carefully before adding. “I think I would appreciate the bounty being taken off my head before I agree to this.”

 

Shackelbolt had waved his hand dismissively. “Already taken care of.”

 

Percy had eyed him coldly. “Why do you really think I would make a good Undersecretary? I'm not immune to bullshit, sir.”

 

Shackelbolt had stared at him across from his large, intimidating desk while Percy stood like some kind of dead thing on his rug. A calculating gleam had been in his brown eyes, the sort of spark that any no account politician would hold before he explained with revolting honesty, “Because you're a mess and you're not afraid to admit it.”

 

Percy shook the memory away as he glanced around frantically, wondering if he had been sent straight to Hell as he heard nothing but the sound of crashing waves and saw nothing but an ominous darkness that chilled him to the bone. Warm sand rested beneath him but Percy reasoned that it might as well be quicksand, “It would fucking figure.” He muttered before anxiously pondering how he had ended up on the beach in the first place.

 

The last thing he remembered was the argument he had had with Bill and the excruciating urge to be away—to be _anywhere_ but back home feeling like the ugly family secret. “What do you think you're doing here?” Bill had asked harshly when Percy had shown up for dinner earlier, “you haven't earned the right to sit at this table like your past hasn't nearly put Mum and Dad in an early grave.”

 

Percy could fuzzily recall the shocked expressions on everyone's faces and the roar of his blood before he had unleashed all hell. How could Bill understand what had happened? Bill had the perfect wife and child, the life that he had once dreamed of that was shattered the moment Fred became red and dead. It had hurt to feel all the love in the room disappear. Why had he decided to come back to this place when Fred was still gone?

 

He didn't quite remember every vile word that they spat at one another, only that their mother had burst into tears towards the end when George had broken them apart. The haze of rage had finally lifted from Percy's eyes and he had allowed the world to make sense again, trembling and remembering every bad moment without Fred. Running away hadn't changed the one thing that would now remain the same for the remainder of their lives and before anyone could try to make sense of the madness that had crept in him, he had Disapparated.

 

Percy could blearily recall stumbling in the dark, collapsing onto the ground and sobbing until the tears in his eyes tasted like nothing. His head had been _pounding_ —Fred had been dead and red, dead and red, dead and red before some merciful God knocked him out. He had never been particularly fond of the beach growing up and even though he was an accomplished swimmer, the fathomless depths of the ocean had always frightened him.

 

Charlie had told him once that there were mermaids at the very bottom and had convinced Percy that they wouldn't take kindly to little boys that treated the ocean unkindly. He had followed that advice ever since, though he now felt a nagging whisper in the back of his mind that was far too important to forget...a story that was difficult to recall.

 

Percy cursed in frustration. “Why is this place so important?”

 

What was he forgetting?

 

What strange force had led him here?

 

The thought of returning home after the awful fight with Bill would only bring their parents more grief and that was the last thing that he wanted. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he had ended up in a dark place all alone but there was something familiar about it that he couldn't quite grasp. Percy wasn't able to put the pieces together just yet but he could vividly recall the hatred in Bill's blue eyes and the disappointment in George's as he had shoved them apart, “You're _brothers_! Merlin, have you lost your damn minds?!” he had shouted.

 

Percy felt his eyes threatening to burn but he forced himself not to cry, his fists clenching tightly until it felt like his nails were tearing into his skin. He had tried to make amends for abandoning his family the second time but it was clear that he wasn't welcome—no one wanted him around, save for George and his lovely Angelina. Percy had lived with them for a while after their son was born and was ashamed by how he had abruptly left the Burrow, “Goddamn me.” He whispered as he weakly stood, his dark jacket and trousers coated in sand and failure.

 

Angelina was probably trying to convince George not to do anything rash because Percy knew that his overprotective brother would scour the continent all night until he was safe. A weak smile threatened to form before the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something came back to him, “Where the hell is my wand?” Percy grumbled, fumbling with his trouser pockets. He was relieved when his gritty fingers brushed against the familiar dragon bone handle, though there was a bit of paper crumbled along with it that he hadn't expected.

 

The trembling in Percy's hands had faded into numb vibrations as he withdrew the paper and angled his wand with his free hand in order to illuminate the words:

 

 

_**Percy Weeeeeasley,** _

 

_**I'm not sure if you're going to read this or not but I'd like to see you and apologize for everything that happened the other night. Angelina let me borrow her owl and even though the fucking thing tried to peck my eyes out, I managed to get the gist of it (Who knew that sending a letter could be so hard?) but I'm worried that things between us have been ruined for good.** _

 

_**Maybe your brother was right and you don't need someone like me in your life. I've got a pretty wild past and even though I'm not ashamed of it, I worry that a former stripper from absolutely nothing can deserve someone so wonderful. We've been through a lot together so far and the last thing in the world that I want is to lose you, you're my one bright thing.** _

 

_**Always.** _

 

_**Eternally,** _

 

_**Audrey** _

 

 

 

Percy read the letter four times and memorized the shape of her letters until each one was burned in his memory. Love, amusement and dismay battled for dominance before the final traces of his self-loathing vanished into nothing more than white noise and muted color. Audrey was the only thing that mattered right now, they had been dating for the past several months and he had never thought it was possible for him to love a person so completely.

 

“My one bright thing,” Percy murmured softly.

 

Audrey was far from the ideal woman that he had envisioned himself with as a young man, she was the complete opposite of Penelope Clearwater. She was sharp tongued and crude, possessing a strange mix of cynicism and innocence that never failed to surprise him. The fact that they had met in a strip club in a seedy part of London had shocked his family and Bill had made it more than clear that he didn't think that she belonged.

 

Bill thought that Audrey was an embarrassment and would do nothing more than shame the family with his past and he hadn't understood how much those words had hurt. Audrey had given him a piece of her mind after a rather tense dinner had concluded but afterward, she had cried for hours and somehow made Percy believe that pounding his brother into the ground would solve nothing. She had suffered through and moved beyond a tough life but she had a tender heart and despite what his brother assumed, Percy had never been happier.

 

How could he have forgotten her?

 

Percy's mind was beginning to clear somewhat and he briefly recalled untying the letter from the leg of Angelina's owl, thinking that it was merely a reminder not to be late for dinner before absently stuffing it into his pocket. Audrey wasn't the sort of person to pour her soul into a scrap of paper and he flipped the letter over and snorted with laughter when he saw that it was an advertisement for a burlesque show in London.

 

He had already been too much of a nervous wreck at the prospect of facing his family for a prolonged dinner to think properly. Audrey was a blessing and he recalled how trivial their argument had been a few days ago, she had patiently advised that he try speaking to Bill about their differences and he had behaved like a prick, which had caused her to reduce him to fecal matter.

 

“Well, since you're so _fucking_ sure that I can't help then maybe you should take Bill's advice and break up with me!” Audrey had roared, making him flinch. “I'm obviously not qualified to understand or talk about almighty wizardy things with motherfucking Percy Weasley!” she had snarled before kicking her door open and hissing for him to get out.

 

Percy couldn't help but chuckle before he thought of how bogged down with work he had been after the fight...how he hadn't been able to apologize. The disastrous evening had wiped the entire thing from his mind and he finally understood why he had unconsciously sought out this place. Audrey occasionally talked about how much the beach had meant to her as a child and he realized it had nothing to do with loneliness bringing him here.

 

It had been love all along.

 

Fred would never come home again but Percy still loved him and even with his bleak past, there was a woman who proved that he _could_ be loved. Percy let out a silent prayer to his brother hiding with all of those stars above him before he concentrated on his next destination and in a matter of seconds, he was spinning away, breaking into pieces and reforming.

 

~.~

 

_Bang!_

 

Percy let out a howl of surprise as a cast iron skillet connected like a giant's fist to his shoulder, causing him to nearly lose his footing. He had Apparated in the dimly lit hallway of Audrey's flat, barely in the proper physical order when the blow nearly knocked his soul out of his body, “Wh—what the _hell_ are you doing? Ow! Dammit, stop that!” he snapped as Audrey took another swing at him below the knee that he barely avoided.

 

“Who goes there?!” Audrey screamed madly.

 

Percy dodged another swing. “Who the hell do you think it is?!”

 

Audrey Tang glowered at him from a thick veil of black hair that hung down her shoulders like silk, her brown eyes flashing with surprised, malicious pleasure. Percy avoided another blow and watched as the woman skirted around him in bare feet, an overlarge grey Bare Back T-shirt that was a souvenir from her days working at the strip club and nothing else but a pair of pink panties. His jaw fell open and he was torn between pleading for mercy, salivating and demanding that she put on suitable clothes before she murdered him.

 

“Percy?” Audrey asked, doubtful.

 

“It's _me_ , why would I lie?” Percy countered, irritated.

 

Audrey pursed her lips. “Why _wouldn't_ you?”

 

Percy groaned. “Do you want me to bloody prove that it's me?”

 

“Go right ahead,” Audrey suggested with icy sweetness.

 

“You have a heart shaped birthmark on your left breast—” Percy began desperately.

 

“Trust me, you're _not_ the only person who knows that.” Audrey interrupted dismissively.

 

Percy lowered his voice. “You have my name tattooed on your inner thigh,”

 

“Which one?” Audrey shot back.

 

“The right,” Percy answered calmly.

 

Audrey rolled her eyes. “Lucky guess,” she muttered.

 

Percy heaved a weary sigh but sensed that she wouldn't hesitate to knock him senseless if he got on her nerves. It wouldn't be the first time her temper nearly had him running from the room but he remained silent as Audrey stared at him speculatively, unable to ignore his haggard appearance, “Would you stop trying to kill me now?” he asked.

 

Audrey scowled, grumbling. “I thought you were breaking into my flat,”

 

Percy highly doubted that. “I didn't make that much noise—”

 

“You're _breathing_ was loud enough,” Audrey interrupted tersely.

 

Percy glanced around and noticed that her messy flat was neater than usual, aside from an empty pizza box on the coffee table. A beer bottle was strewn lazily on the floor and the television was blasting an old movie, where a dapper man was telling a woman that he quite frankly didn't give a damn. His eyes scanned her mangled couch and noticed that it looked lived in and was piled high with pillows, sheets and blankets. “Were you waiting for me?” he asked carefully.

 

“Of course not,” Audrey muttered.

 

Percy felt even more like a fool as he realized that she had been hopefully waiting for him to reply to her letter. He wanted to apologize and hold her but there was a look on her face that made it clear that she would rip out his entrails, “Dearest, I'm sorry that I scared you.” He said sincerely. “You know I would never do something like that on purpose.” Audrey shifted uneasily, her eyes warming before she cursed hotly.

 

Audrey still had difficulty accepting how much she cared about him but he saw her willingness to hear him out. There was a flushed quality to her skin that he had only seen on those rare occasions when she was near her breaking point, “I just don't like being surprised like that and I suppose I _should_ be sorry for hitting you with this.” She held up the skillet with a sour face. “Right before you popped up out of nowhere, I was thinking about frying some eggs.”

 

“You could have cracked my head open,” Percy remarked flatly.

 

Audrey scoffed. “You're all right,”

 

Percy couldn't help but smile. “I've missed you so much,”

 

“I haven't seen you in _days_ and I honestly don't appreciate that.” Audrey gritted out.

 

Percy forced himself not to run crying in the other direction. “I know, that's why I came tonight.”

 

“Well, what do you want?” Audrey asked crisply.

 

Percy watched as the woman waited impatiently for him to speak again and for several seconds he just thought she was too cute for her own good. There was something deeply satisfying about making her uncomfortable and he supposed that was why George had always enjoyed pulling pranks on everyone so much. Audrey lifted the skillet and he raised his hands defensively, “Dearest, I didn't come here to fight.” He said gently and she turned pink.

 

“What makes you think that I like having you...you poofing into my flat like this whenever you feel it's okay?” Audrey asked him irritably and he bit down the urge to laugh. Percy had explained Apparition to her more than once but the process seemed to scare her and he had tried not to startle her too much when he visited. “What makes you think that I even _want_ to see you? I thought you had just made up your mind about me!” her arms shook under the weight of the skillet and Percy reached out to take it from her.

 

“I'm sorry about how I reacted the other night to your advise, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that and—would you mind putting something on?” Percy spluttered abruptly. Audrey had folded her arms across her chest, which did absolutely nothing for his imagination and his eyes scanned over her legs wistfully before meeting her defiant stare. “Ms. Tang, I don't appreciate this.”

 

Audrey grinned smugly. “What, does the sight of me in my panties _bother_ you, Weeeasley?”

 

Percy set the skillet on a nearby shelf. “Ms. Tang—”

 

“They're the kind you like, I wore them out of spite.” Audrey sneered.

 

Percy was unsurprised by this admission. “Thank you, Ms. Tang.”

 

“Don't you _Ms. Tang_ me!” Audrey warned, eyes flashing dangerously.

 

“Put on some pants,” Percy said, frowning.

 

“You haven't _earned_ it.” Audrey retorted flippantly.

 

Percy felt a burst of irritation before noticing how red her eyes were and the faint tremor of her lower lip. Audrey was a strong woman but he found it startling just how vulnerable she was, “I'll earn it right now. I shouldn't have let my own anger with my brother lead me to snapping at you when all you were trying to do was help,” he tried to keep his voice steady but it was difficult. “I was scared about seeing my family and I thought that avoiding Bill was the wise thing to do and I'm grateful that you told me it wouldn't be.”

 

Audrey seemed to consider the words for a very long time and he watched as the anger slowly drained out of her system. Her voice became sympathetic, “I don't have a relationship with my older brother so I just thought that you would want to hold onto yours. It wasn't my place to tell you what to do but I've never been the sort of person who believed in backing down from a fight, that's something about me I don't think will ever change and I shouldn't have expected you to be okay with confronting your brother after everything you've been through.”

 

“I should have listened to you, my relationship with my family is complicated and I don't think that I'll ever be able to speak to Bill without losing my temper.” Percy replied with a swift smile. “I think that when we all lost Fred, parts of ourselves just broke a part and it didn't help that I abandoned my family again either.” He inhaled raggedly. “I was a complete mess after my brother died and I'm still trying to make up for what I did but you weren't in the wrong for trying to help me.”

 

“I still shouldn't have just expected you to be ready for something like that,” Audrey said earnestly.

 

“I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready but I need you to understand that I would never choose anyone else in this world over my own heart.” Percy replied quietly. He felt as if the world was spinning but it was too late to turn back now and he told her what had happened earlier this evening, the dark thoughts that had swallowed him up. Audrey listened intently and wiped at her glistening eyes and he immediately closed the space between them and wrapped her in his arms, holding her close until neither of them were able to breathe without the other. “It's all right, dearest. I'm all right,”

 

“Don't you _ever_ go to that dark place without me.” Audrey whispered, sniffling.

 

Percy pulled her closer. “There are no dark places with you.”

 

“I-I thought that you had started to believe what your brother was saying about me and that things were over because I didn't see you afterward and you never even answered my fucking letter!” Audrey cried against his chest. Percy explained himself in the best way that he could but she cried harshly, “I waited for you to show up and just when I was beginning to think that you weren't going to—here you are and I _hate_ you for making me wait for so long!”

 

“It was a beautiful letter—” Percy complimented.

 

Audrey squealed embarrassingly. “ _Burn it_!”

 

Percy feigned hurt. “I would ruin that lovely burlesque advertisement—”

 

“Burn. It.” Audrey insisted angrily.

 

“Why would I do something like that?” Percy asked, laughing.

 

“I've never written anything so mushy before, I always _say_ what I mean.” Audrey clarified, spluttering as he laughed. He ran a soothing hand down her back, “I wasn't sure if you would read it or not and if you hadn't shown up tonight, I was going to lose my damn mind and hunt you down.” Percy was sure that it would have ended up being a rather bloody affair by the time she did get her hands on him, “It was the most terrifying night of my life, waiting for you.”

 

Audrey pressed a kiss against his jaw before resting her head on his shoulder and Percy breathed in the scent of pure bliss. There was nothing in the world quite like this and although he knew that it would be a long time before he could truly heal the broken parts of himself, he would be able to face anything in this world so long as they were together.

 

“You waited a long time for me.” Percy said aloud.

 

“Too damn long,” Audrey grunted.

 

Percy chuckled and gently angled her face towards his, pressing soft kisses here and there until she was giggling with surprised pleasure. He rested his forehead against hers, “I'll never let you wait like again and I'll take you to the place that made me see how lost without you I am.” Audrey appeared confused and reached up to brush the sand from his shoulder with a puzzled frown, “I wasn't really sure where I was going when I left the Burrow, I just knew that I needed to be somewhere safe.” He bent to kiss the sore lids of her eyes, “the place that you love so much is where I found myself falling and no matter what happens next, love will always bring me back to you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this story! I'm a huge Percy Weasley fan so I hope you liked this one-shot! Feel free to review!


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